City chief of equity and human rights named

Dubuque City Manager Mike Van Milligen has named Gisella Aitken-Shadle city chief of equity and human rights.

Aitken-Shadle will lead the city’s development and implementation of equity and inclusion initiatives, the release states. She also will be responsible for managing an organization-wide effort to advance equity in budgeting, community engagement and other municipal services.

The vacancy was created when then-Human Rights Director Kelly Larson became development and learning manager in the city’s human resources department.

Aitken-Shadle has served as the district director of adult education and literacy at Northeast Iowa Community College since 2015.

She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian, according to the release.